Games Are Afoot Chapter 13
Competition?
Disclaimer:Characters and canon stuff is JKR's—the rest is mine.
Author's Note: This chapter takes place several days after the last.
The queen crushed the pawn in spectacular fashion. Ron was moving in for the kill. He loved Wizard's Chess and was great at it. He knew his brothers only humored him by playing since none of them had been able to beat him for the last couple of years. Still, it passed the time. Tonight the sacrificial brother was Charlie. Though he was putting up a good game, they both knew he was about to go down.
"So, does Hermione always study so much?" Charlie asked Ron conversationally. Ron glanced over to the center of the room where Hermione was immersed in a large book.
"Pretty much. She kinda lives in the library." Ron answered shrugging his shoulders.
"Do you study with her?"
"With her? No. Because of her, yeah. She makes Harry and me study schedules if you can believe it." Ron chuckled. "If it wasn't for her, we'd flunk. She helps us—a lot."
"What do you do for her if she helps you so much?" Charlie asked, his curiosity peaked.
"What do you mean for her? She loves helping us. If she couldn't lecture us on our study habits, she'd go around the bend. We are doing her a service by letting her help." Ron answered. His knight took out Charlie's bishop with a crushing blow of his sword.
"I don't think I understand." Charlie said sacrificing his rook to get the game over with. He was trying not to let his agitation show. He was actually quite unsettled at the way he thought Harry and Ron were using Hermione.
"Hermione is fairly bossy. She needs someone to boss around who won't get offended. If we pass our classes in the mean time, all the better." Ron answered unaffectedly.
"I see." Charlie replied stiffly.
"Checkmate!" Ron said gleefully. "Thanks for the game, Char. I'm gonna go see if mum has anything to eat.
"We just ate for Merlin's sake!" Charlie muttered to Ron's retreating back.
"It's never stopped him before, why should tonight be any different." Ginny said as she flopped into Ron's vacated chair. "I'm bored. Let's play a game."
"Anything but chess." Charlie laughed.
"How about that Sardine game Hermione taught us a few weeks ago. That was so fun and there is loads more places to hide here. More of a fair footing too as we all are relatively new to the place."
"I'm in. Why don't you gather up the others and I'll wait here." Charlie asked languidly letting his eyes sweep the room again. He settled on Hermione as discreetly as he could. The more he learned about her, the more intrigued he became. He just couldn't quite admit it to himself yet.
Hermione was reading but she held the book at such an angle that no one would be able to tell which one it was. She had discovered that Grimmauld Place had a fair library and Sirius had graciously told her she could choose whichever books she wanted. She had lovingly looked through a large portion of the library before settling on the book she was currently engrossed in. She could feel someone's eyes on her, so she glanced around. No one seemed to be paying her any attention so she returned to her page. Then she felt it again. She paused her reading but did not look up. She could feel it coming from her right. She waited making sure and then, suddenly, she glanced directly right to Charlie's embarrassment as he was openly staring at her. She grinned cheekily and winked and went back to her book, smiling to herself.
Charlie was surprised to get caught staring. He thought he had been judicious in his observation, but she proved to be an agile opponent.
Ginny flounced back into the room followed by Tonks, George, Fred, Ron and Bill. "Same players, except Tonks will be joining us!" Ginny announced. Hermione looked up.
"Joining us for what?" Hermione asked obliviously.
"We are playing sardines, and you, you will put that nasty, dusty old book away for a bit and play with us." Ginny ordered.
"Bu—"
"And I won't take no for an answer." Ginny said firmly.
Hermione placed a book mark in the tome to hold her spot. "Okay, if you insist." She mocked.
Ginny smiled devilishly. "Oh, I do." She paused before continuing. "I already explained the rules to Tonks, so the last person to win a round was Hermione, so I think she should hide first."
Everyone agreed so Hermione swept out of the room and into the hallway closing the door softly and quietly behind her. Charlie stood up to stretch and casually moved toward the end table by the couch. He glanced down at the book Hermione had set down and was amused to discover that it was called, "Blast of Flame: The Unknown Spark of the Chinese Fireball."
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Hermione crept up the stairs trying to determine where she could hide. She felt some pressure since she had played so well last time, and she wanted to maintain the respect she had earned. She was extremely competitive and had no desire to lose her standing. She knew she would not hide in the loo as that would be where Fred would hide during his turn. She chuckled to herself.
Grimmauld Place was interesting. There were many subtle nooks and surprising hallways, especially on the upper floors. It reminded her of a darker, minature version of Hogwarts. She noticed a dark green tapestry with images of dueling knights and moved it aside gently to see if there was anything hidden behind it. It was just a wall. She knew her time was running out. 'Think Hermione,' she told herself. And then it came. The epiphany. She raced to the second topmost floor and darted into the hidden balcony behind the tapestry of the dragon.
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"Okay, let's go find her." Bill stated looking at his pocket watch. It had been his seventeenth birthday present, a tradition in the wizarding world. He carried it with him always, even if it was discreetly. It was old-fashioned but he loved it. The group quietly made its way past Mrs. Black's portrait and then flew in all directions up the stairs. Charlie headed for the top, hoping that his search pattern of before would prove lucky twice.
Tonks followed Bill because she knew he was the King of Hide and Seek among the Weasley clan. After several minutes he stopped and she ran right into him.
"You know, Hermione found me, right? Before, when we played at the Burrow." Bill announced respectfully.
Tonks was stunned. No one ever found Bill. "She didn't." She responded with a stunned look on her face.
"Seriously, she did it in like two minutes. Totally figured out my trick and bam—my reign was over."
Tonks was impressed. "So, where do you think she would hide?"
"I don't have a bloody clue. I was thinking of following Ron or Ginny since they spend the most time with her. I just don't want to be last." He chuckled merrily.
"Good idea. I'll take Ginny. You take Ron. Let's get there before Charlie." Tonks said in Auror fashion. "Divide and conquer, ya' know?"
Bill laughed and nodded in agreement as he turned to find Ron.
Fred was madly searching in every rest room. Grimmauld Place was the majestic owner of ten such rooms. George tagged along because he was unsure of where else to look.
Charlie had completed his search of the top and stealthily moved to the next level down. He searched quickly in every room and was about to head down the stairs when he noticed something he had never seen before. It was an exquisite replica of a Welsh Green. He stopped to look at it and it winked at him and waved its tail behind him. Slightly taken aback, he went to move away when the dragon did it again. Charlie moved toward the tapestry and the dragon nodded. He gently pulled it to the side, and sure enough, there was Hermione.
"We meet again." Charlie said with a smile.
"Come in and be quiet before they all hear you." She smiled back.
Charlie moved behind the rug and let the edge fall so that it closed over the balcony. It was very dark behind the rug. He moved silently toward where he had seen Hermione standing until he ran into her gently. Her back was pressed against the wall and she lifted her hands to his chest so he wouldn't squish her.
"I guess you found me." She said in a husky whisper. She was extremely nervous being this close to him. She could feel the muscles in his chest as he pressed her against her hands just slightly. She was surprised at how warm she felt all of a sudden. He backed up an inch or two.
"I guess I did."
"How?"
"How what?"
"How did you find me?" She whispered into his chest which was still very close. Charlie was tall, but not as tall as Bill or the twins. She noticed that he had a musky, masculine scent that reminded her of the outdoors.
"While I was waiting to come look, I noticed what you had been reading." He laughed quietly. "Then, when I was just about to leave this floor, I noticed the tapestry. It's actually quite amazing. It winked at me. And here I am." Her hair smelled like strawberries and he backed up a little more and her hands dropped from his chest. He was tempted to move forward again, but he resisted the urge. "So, are you enjoying the book?"
"Oh yes, it, they, the fireballs I mean, are very interesting. But the book was talking about how often they burn their handlers. Have you been burned a lot?" She whispered.
"I've had my fair share." He murmured. His voice was so low it rumbled.
"So how do you treat those so they don't scar or …" She trailed off.
"Hagrid actually gave me something to help," Charlie nearly laughed out loud. "Those blast-ended skrewts of his." Hermione giggled quietly too. "Anyway it is called essence of murtlelap and it's good for so many things I always keep it handy. Doesn't always prevent a scar, but soothes and heals stinging sorts of injuries well." He reached for her hand and placed it on the top of his left hand.
"Can you feel that?'
"Yes. It's raised but smooth." He gently let her hand go.
"That was my last burn and I think it healed fairly well."
"Certainly seems to have." She murmured thanking merlin inwardly that it was too dark for him to see how flushed her face was. "I wonder if anyone is going to find us?"
"Well," Charlie drawled quietly, "You are the queen…"
The tapestry moved suddenly and George, Fred, and Ginny slipped in.
"Hermione, you sure know how to pick the spots!" Ginny exclaimed gleefully.
"Shhh! Ron is just at the other end of the hall!" Fred hissed.
A glimmer of light shone through to the group on the balcony as Ron and Bill slipped behind the tapestry.
"Hey Gin, where's Tonks?" Bill inquired.
"I ditched her on the third floor. She was trying to follow me." Ginny said choking back laughter.
The group was jostling for room as it was getting quite crowded behind the tapestry. Charlie inadvertently took a step closer to Hermione. George turned and pushed Ron into Charlie's back and Hermione found herself up against the wall with Charlie flush against her. He leaned down to whisper in her ear nearly silently.
"Let's search together next round, okay?"
They were standing so close that she nodded and he could feel it.
"Okay, you lot. I know you are all somewhere, and time is up so come out." Tonks bellowed up the stairs. The group filed out slowly and blinked in the bright lights as they headed for the lounge
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Tonks left to go hide. Bill and Charlie sat on the couch talking quietly between themselves. Hermione was standing with Fred and Ginny discussing possible pranks that Fred wanted to pull at school that would be technically within the rules and he was quizzing Hermione since she knew all of them. Bill announced that it was time to go and they all headed out.
"Just follow the crashes and you'll find her," Sirius called out jovially as they left and he resumed reading.
The group chuckled and moved on. Hermione walked extra slowly until Ron grew frustrated and grunted as he passed her and darted up the stairs two at a time. Soon Hermione and Charlie were meandering up the first set of stairs together.
Hermione really didn't know what to say. She had been surprised when Charlie asked her to search with him and she wasn't really sure why. She knew her curiosity had won out over her nervousness because here she was, with him.
"I was hoping to get a chance to talk to you," he said.
"Oh?"
"I—"
Ginny darted down the stairs past them. "I heard a crash in the kitchen. I bet it's her. She's dead clumsy sometimes."
Charlie looked at Hermione and shrugged as they turned back down to go toward the kitchen. Entering just a minute after Ginny did, they spotted the cup on the floor by the broom closet. Ginny wrenched open the door and moved in. Charlie and Hermione soon followed. Not long after came Bill, George, and Fred who had also heard the crash. All that was left was Ron.
"How long do you suppose it'll take him?" George asked the group at large.
"A while, he had gone all the way up and most likely didn't hear the crash." Bill replied.
Someone started giggling, but no one really knew who and soon they were all affected. It was contagious. The giggles grew until they became full blown laughter. It was one of those truly wonderful things that no one could explain. Tears were rolling down Tonks and Ginny's faces. George and Fred were hanging on to each other and holding their sides. Bill was bent over holding on to his knees trying to breathe. Suddenly, the door opened and Mrs. Weasley screamed.
"What are you lot doing in this cupboard?" She exploded. "You gave me such a fright! I thought ghosts had moved in. Get along you! OUT! OUT OF THIS KITCHEN NOW! Who ever heard of a group hiding in a broom cupboard. Bill? Charlie? Tonks? WHAT IS GOING ON?" She screeched. Ron finally clamored into the kitchen triggering the gales of laughter again. Mrs. Weasley shooed them out yelling at them to take their games elsewhere. Mr. Weasley's was sitting at the table with Remus, but his newspaper was shaking ever so slightly as he held it up to cover his face.
It was Ron's turn to hide. They were all fairly certain it would NOT be in the kitchen this time. As they made their way up the stairs, Charlie and Hermione were separated. Hermione stumbled onto Ron's hiding spot unexpectedly. She had opened the door to the room and glanced around. Not seeing anything, she started to back out of the door when she looked in the mirror and saw the closet door closing in the reflection. So she joined him.
"So Ron, you are sure nothing is going to blow up while we are in here right?" Hermione asked nervously trying to make sure she wasn't touching anything.
"Fred and George don't store stuff like that in closets." Ron offered, "they leave it out in the open so mum doesn't think it's anything. She figures if it's dangerous or illegal, they'd hide it, so she never messes with the boxes that are out."
"That's actually really clever Ron." Hermione said.
"Yeah, I guess. It can be a bloody nuisance if you come into their room though. The other day I just accidentally bumped into one of their boxes and I swear it hit me back."
Hermione giggled at the image in her head as Fred and George slipped into the closet with Ginny. Not long after Tonks joined them. Bill was next. Charlie was the last to open the door.
"I guess that makes me it," He said brightly as the others stumbled out of the closet. He looked past the others as they filed out and when his eyes met Hermione's he winked and then looked up. He looked to see if she understood and she gave a slight nod.
The group trudged back to the lounge to wait their two minutes before going to look. Hermione hovered by the door waiting for Bill to call time. As soon as he did, she was off like a shot and flew up the stairs. She figured he would be on the top floor, but when she got there she didn't know quite where to look.
She tentatively walked down the right wing corridor stopping every few feet to look and listen. As she passed a huge picture that went nearly floor to ceiling of two boys flying kites in a meadow, someone grabbed her from behind with one arm around her waist and one hand over her mouth.
"It's just me." Charlie growled deeply in her ear. She visibly relaxed as he pulled her behind the portrait into a stunning sitting room. "This used to be Sirius' mum's private parlor." Charlie explained. "He showed it to me one night because the noise of all the people here was getting to me. The dragon reserve is actually much quieter than my family." He chortled. He released her and she looked about the room.
"I was hoping to talk to you for a minute, but with this lot it's hard to get a word alone." He continued.
"And what did you have to say, Charlie?" Hermione encouraged him with a soft smile.
"I just wanted to tell you personally that I leave to go back to Romania tomorrow night." He said looking directly at her. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of parchment. "I really rather enjoy talking with you. I was wondering, if you wanted to, maybe if you would owl me once in a while?"
"I would like that very much!" Hermione exclaimed surprised by how touched she was at his simple gesture of friendship. She started to unroll the parchment when he put his hand on hers to stop her.
"Please don't read that until I go, okay?" He asked looking deeply into her eyes.
"Okay." She said quietly looking right back at him. She slipped the parchment into the pocket with her wand.
"Does anyone know about this room, Charlie? Besides Sirius I mean."
"I don't think so, I am hoping no one finds us." He laughed at the nervous look on her face. "I just mean that Dad told me last round that he was going to tell us game time was over and to get to bed soon, so this will probably be the last round for tonight."
Hermione sighed. She wasn't sure why, but she had been holding her breath. Was she hoping for something? Fearing for something? She was unused to her emotions being jumbled, but she was certainly stirred up tonight.
"So where does one get a hold of essence of murtlelap?" She blurted out.
Charlie barked out a laugh. "You know Hermione, you can definitely keep a bloke on his toes." She joined him in his laughter. "I actually make my own now, maybe I could send you the instructions and you can try brewing it yourself."
"I'd like that Charlie."
They spent the next twenty minutes talking about different potions that they liked and didn't like and why. The conversation flowed easily and they laughed a lot. Charlie looked at his watch after a while and realized the game should have ended. They agreed to keep the parlour their own secret and not tell the others so if the opportunity to play again occurred, they would be one up on everyone else.
They made their way back to the lounge to find Mrs. Weasley serving tea and biscuits.
"So you didn't get lost after all, eh?" Bill asked looking at Charlie and winking.
"Nope, Miss Granger is the only one of you who was clever enough to find my little hiding place." Charlie answered Bill.
"Where were you, we looked all over." Ginny whined.
"Not everywhere, Gin, or you would have found me." Charlie teased.
"Hey, Hermione," Fred started.
"Fancy a bit of reading this evening?" George continued.
"We found your book—"
"To be quite interesting—"
"Probably generated quite the discussion—"
"Between you and a certain dragon tamer we know."
Fred held up the book Hermione had been reading. Her face turned bright red. Ron looked at her surprised. Ginny snickered. Bill looked at something very interesting on the wall.
"I personally think she has fantastic taste in literature." Charlie stated as he grabbed a biscuit and a cup of tea.
Everyone laughed again as the tension broke. Charlie began to tell some of his adventures with the dragons in Romania and the evening ended peacefully.